Asbestosis in the human lung....

Just wondering if the well known brands of imitation wood cement board are asbestos free.

The manufactures catalogs claim their product to be asbestos free but I often wonder when I see the clouds of cement dust from workers cutting them with angle cutters on site.

Either way the cement dust is probably no good in a human lung anyway.

Just wondering if the well known brands of imitation wood cement board are asbestos free.

The manufactures catalogs claim their product to be asbestos free but I often wonder when I see the clouds of cement dust from workers cutting them with angle cutters on site.

Either way the cement dust is probably no good in a human lung anyway.

It is my understandaing that many brands of these imitation wood boards are now made of polyesther - same stuff that is used to patch up minor repair work on car panels.

you also have to be careful of the fiberglass insulation. These glass fibers will stick in your lungs and form scar tissue around the glass fiber reducing your ability to absorb oxygen. Follow the same precautions jim mentioned. Paper suit and respirator.

Not to make light of the subject, Any particles that are inhaled are potentially Dangerous,Plastics even wood, A few Years ago farmers got lung cancer from Straw and hay.So i would always put a face mask on even if its only a paper mask, The modern Danger that i have noticed is MDF board , Many people just cut it and sand it with out a mask,Time will tell, and after all you only get one set of lungs,

Nothing wrong with the stuff. Just don't crack or break it, the loose particles CAN be dangerous. It's still all over the garage here for a long time.

I am proberly going to get a ripping for posting this, but somebody has to stand up for asbestos!!

KEEP ASBESTOS BAN ALCOHOL

riding a bicycle can give you testical cancer

smoking gives you cancer

drinking can give you cirrhosis

silica dust can give you sillicosis

breathing bangkok air must be a killer!!

driving a car can kill you

crossing the street can kill you

there is more danger in dealing with petrol than asbestos

electricity can kill you

water can kill you

sun can kill you

sun can give you cancer

eating to much food can kill you

More people die from war every year than asbestos do we ban war???? no we go and make it!!!!

in scotland there is a death every 6 hours as a result of alcohol, that is just wee little scotland should we ban alcohol? how many people come into contact with asbestos and die, as opposed to alcohol. I dont drink as a rule but I know that I can still die because of a drunk driver, I have more fear of drunk drivers than asbestos!!!!

leaves the question of what cant kill you ????

I know that asbestos can be a killer but only if dealt with wrong, hey so can a chainsaw and a push bike!!!

the list goes on, and as for break pads so now we use kevlar products well what a supprise that is now a topic for cancer.

what is safe???????

Germany has banned all mineral oils as they cause cancer but not vasiline... petrolium jelly, then we take vasiline and use it on our babies!! Diesel has been linked to cancer.

I sit under a asbestos roof every day and I dont stress, as there is more danger from walking down the road than from the roof!!!

now dont get me wrong I know there can be death as a side effect I am not saying it is a safe product, but most weed killers are not safe but you dont have a problem with your mother using them!!

I look at the amount of asbestos used in this world and wonder how bad it really is, how long has it been used???

it is even safe enough to eat!!! if you handle it properly then you wont have a problem, you proberly have more chance of dieing in your sleep than dieing of asbestos but we dont ban sleep!!!

personaly I think it is a great product, and I bet it has saved many more lives that it has cost. there are not many products like it and there is not much that can replace it.

one has to ask how much of the media hype has killed this product? how bad is it really?

how many people have died because of asbestos and how many people have died whilst having intercourse?? are we going to ban that to?????

now in saying that I will proberly die as a result of asbestos exposure, ok

people tell me that smoking will kill me, so I ask the simple question, so if I dont smoke does that mean I wont die???

the interesting thing is that with the advance of medical science we no longer attribute death to natural causes we give it a reason, and because of all those reasons we look at things different, we look at everything as a killer.

well the cold hard facts of life are that even the purest of people WILL DIE!! its just a case of what we die of!

you can try and life a clean life and stay away from asbestos and all the other things in life that may kill you but to do that you have to live in a bubble, not leave the house and pray that the house doesnt burn down or a drunk driver come through your wall!

people be nice asbestos isnt bad, its how people use it that is bad !!!

ASBESTOS DOES NOT KILL PEOPLE DO

well this posting should get a few people worked up and know doubt I will be told how bad I am and how missinformed I am. but I I am a realist!!!! go and have a moan about nucular fuel, we put that in a container that is safe to drop it from 50 ft, then we load it in a plane and fly it at 30,000 feet !!!!

welcome to the real world people products have been killing people for years, some of the biggest killers are the everyday things, Beer, Cars, Smokes but the biggest killer of all is living !!!!

I am proberly going to get a ripping for posting this, but somebody has to stand up for asbestos!!

KEEP ASBESTOS BAN ALCOHOL

What a wonderful idea

This would be ok except for one thing...the dangers of asbestos are hardly ever advertised, unlike the dangers of crossing the road, smoking, drinking etc etc.

An informed public will have the choice to avoid the risk of breathing asbestos dust as opposed to an uninformed public. Of course, an informed public may also choose to ignore this warning.

I believe that warnings & therefore choices, surrounding such things as alcohol & tobacco, provide people with a "choice". If they did not know about these things, they would obviously have little or no choice.

I am proberly going to get a ripping for posting this, but somebody has to stand up for asbestos!!

KEEP ASBESTOS BAN ALCOHOL

What a wonderful idea

This would be ok except for one thing...the dangers of asbestos are hardly ever advertised, unlike the dangers of crossing the road, smoking, drinking etc etc.

An informed public will have the choice to avoid the risk of breathing asbestos dust as opposed to an uninformed public. Of course, an informed public may also choose to ignore this warning.

I believe that warnings & therefore choices, surrounding such things as alcohol & tobacco, provide people with a "choice". If they did not know about these things, they would obviously have little or no choice.

you are 100% correct

I am happy with asbestos an the interaction that I have with is, this is based upon the idea that I am fairly well informed on it hence I am happy with dealing with it.

dont get me wrong I know it is a killer if delt with wrong. and I have delt with it wrong over the years, ie breakpad dust!

A well informed public is the key to many things, it does make you wonder why there is not more information out there on products, ie mineral oils, I remember being shocked to hear that Germany does not use hydrolic fulid, it uses antifreeze and water.

but sadly most of the western world do not educate there engineers or public to the risks of exposure to mineral oils but at least asbestos has had some exposure.

maybe over the fext decade or two the rest of the world will follow germany.

As long as asbesto products aren't cut, broken into pieces or otherwise damaged in a way where fibers might be releaesed into the environment NOTHING will happen, nothing!

It looks like a very clever marketing campaign for tin roofing and plaster board industry!

Good mate of mine in Australia made a fortune on removing Asbestos sheet and roofing!

one "famous" case from Perth has surfaced years ago, where the wife of an Asbestos worker got Asbestosis from WASHING his clothes!

Many, many other products, such as break pads contain or contains asbestos fiber for many,

many years - if so the damage is done already!

Life is a terminal disease!

I'd always been told that asbestos roofing where the asbestos is encapsulated in cement was 'safe' so long as you didn't cut it or otherwise generate dust.

It would appear however that as these roofs deteriorate they could let fibres into the environment

As an aside, we used to live near the Turners asbestos factory in Bickershaw, IIRC they went out of business when the place burned down.

That's ironic... An asbestos factory burning down!

Seems that many Posters on this thread are unfamiliar with the Danger attached to the use of Asbestos,perhaps they may change their minds on reading the following link.

www.thameslabs.co.uk/.../Cancer-expert-implicated-in-Turner-and-Newell-asbestos-exposure-case

thanks for all the informative posts. So, if your house has asbestos roof tiles, what's the best thing to do? I understand that they may not be dangerous until they're damaged, won't removing them damage them? Surely, over time, they will become damaged anyway?

I reckon it's unlikely that any Thai builders who would replace roof tiles will remove the asbestos ones with any kind of precautions, so if you get them replaced aren't you just making a big asbestos cloud for you and your neighbours to breathe in?

I'm asking because I'm fairly sure the house I'm thinking of buying has asbestos roof tiles, but then, many of the other houses in the area probably do to!

What's the best course of action?

Cheers,

Biff

Well, I've been suspicious of the suspended ceiling tiles for a while now, and reading the posts here has me concerned.

I recently had them down and mucked about with them quite a bit without any protection. Obviously they come from larger sheets and so have been cut to size

and then plaster (poorly) applied to the down-facing side, so, already "broken" and a few chipped as I moved them about.

I was hoping it was was some kind of fibre-board sans asbestos as I really thought there was a worldwide ban on this stuff.

I can't believe that asbestos is still around. This was THE health story of my pre-teens more than 25 years ago.

Not sure what to do a the house is rented, but we're SLEEPING under this <deleted>.

One question about the common square boards used for suspended ceilings. Is there any risk of finding asbestos in there?

Yes, the 120 cm square cement boards are an asbestos cement product....and so is the corrugated cement board roofing....and the thin wall cement pipes....but don't worry too much because the types of fibres used in these products are the not really very dangerous kind and also the way it is being used in these products stabilizes the fibres so they generally don't sluff off of these products and so don't really cause much of a problem. There are probably alot of other environmental things that should concern us more than the presence of asbestos in these products. I'm sure that many will disagree with me in my estimation of the dangers of these products....I have asked before and I will ask again, does anyone know of the frequency of asbestosis in Thailand...I would think it would be an epidemic since these products are so widespread in Thailand...but I've never heard of asbestosis as being an issue in Thailand at all.

Chownah

So when you say they are not the dangerous one, I understand not dangerous when not disturbed. But they do become dangerous when holes drilled in them for the bolts? Corners cut off with a angle grinder?

My grandfather died of asbestosis (sp?).

My father died of asbestosis as in 2003. 40 years working at a US Naval Shipyard. 83 years old.

As long as asbesto products aren't cut, broken into pieces or otherwise damaged in a way where fibers might be releaesed into the environment NOTHING will happen, nothing!

I used to work for TAC. The danger is in the dust and then only if the particle size is correct. Workers who used to be at the highest risk were in the asbestos weaving industry, second would be the insulation removal guys, who sadly I suspect Gotlost's grandfather was one. Asbestos encased in cement is benign. Also water from asbestos pipes is OK. Unfortunately the alternatives are not good from a strength point of view . We experimented with glassfibre to which cement doesn't bond very well, but was good enough for artificial roofing slates , and long before F1 discovered it, carbon fibre. That works well but a the time. was very expensive. The only people likely to be exposed at out plants were the guys who handled the raw material. They all worked in negative pressure rooms and worn respirators. Their coveralls were provided and never went home with them. After that part of the process all the fibre in the plant was wet until encased.Guys cutting with angle grinders should wear masks , I'm sure they don't here, but fortunately the particle size thing is on their side.

ALL Asbestos is so very DANGEROUS

I am an Australian guy married to a Thai national.

I am President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia.

At present we have over 300 clients on our register who have Asbestos related diseases.

Do you realize that asbestos related diseases can take 20-30 years or more before they show in your body?

If you contract Mesolthelioma from asbestos then you will DIE within a few months after diagnosis.

Each week we attend funeral services or our clients that have dried in great pain.

Please check my societies web site www.adssa-inc.com.au

Write to me at [email protected]

My Government grants this society many thousands of dollars a year to give people an awareness of asbestos

PLEASE. Do NOT USE Asbestos. Do not touch Asbestos

P L E A S E !

ALL Asbestos is so very DANGEROUS

I am an Australian guy married to a Thai national.

I am President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia.

At present we have over 300 clients on our register who have Asbestos related diseases.

Do you realize that asbestos related diseases can take 20-30 years or more before they show in your body?

If you contract Mesolthelioma from asbestos then you will DIE within a few months after diagnosis.

Each week we attend funeral services or our clients that have dried in great pain.

Please check my societies web site www.adssa-inc.com.au

Write to me at [email protected]

My Government grants this society many thousands of dollars a year to give people an awareness of asbestos

PLEASE. Do NOT USE Asbestos. Do not touch Asbestos

P L E A S E !

But what good is that to us here in Thailand where the construction and building industry embraces the stuff?

It's obvious that asbestos is dangerous & can certainly kill people. The site does provide access to some info about asbestos.

The latest update concerning a Thai roof-tile manufacturer using asbestos in its product: Asbestos in Thailand

The latest update concerning a Thai roof-tile manufacturer using asbestos in its product: Asbestos in Thailand

And within above reference, here's the specific link/page for corrugated roof tile. http://www.inspectap...ugated_Roof.htm

To the OP: Doesn't sound like there is much of a risk for airborne asbestos particles from cementious tiles, unless having the tiles removed with sanders and saws. Otherwise, the risk is probably very low per the article. I guess a person could also say that unless the home owner is messing with the roof (drilling, sawing, breaking the edges, etc.) doing routine maintenance the risk is also probably very low. And if the tiles are sealed/painted on the top and sides, like many are, the risk should be lower than low. Of course this assumes asbestos is used in the tiles,which may be a bad assumption. And if removing yours, you might want to have your neighbor's remove theirs also, otherwise you are not going to get rid of any asbestos particles that may be in the air around your home due to roof tiles. Heck, a person might have to move out of Thailand to reach that level of safety. A person should be cautious, but use facts and surrounding conditions in developing the level of caution you want to implement

Partial Quote:

Planning demolition of corrugated cement asbestos roofing materials?

The risk of high levels of airborne asbestos from cementious roofing products is probably very low unless the workers are using power equipment like sanders and saws on these substances.

End Quote

The latest update concerning a Thai roof-tile manufacturer using asbestos in its product: Asbestos in Thailand

And within above reference, here's the specific link/page for corrugated roof tile. http://www.inspectap...ugated_Roof.htm

To the OP: Doesn't sound like there is much of a risk for airborne asbestos particles from cementious tiles, unless having the tiles removed with sanders and saws. Otherwise, the risk is probably very low per the article. I guess a person could also say that unless the home owner is messing with the roof (drilling, sawing, breaking the edges, etc.) doing routine maintenance the risk is also probably very low. And if the tiles are sealed/painted on the top and sides, like many are, the risk should be lower than low. Of course this assumes asbestos is used in the tiles,which may be a bad assumption. And if removing yours, you might want to have your neighbor's remove theirs also, otherwise you are not going to get rid of any asbestos particles that may be in the air around your home due to roof tiles. Heck, a person might have to move out of Thailand to reach that level of safety. A person should be cautious, but use facts and surrounding conditions in developing the level of caution you want to implement

Partial Quote:

Planning demolition of corrugated cement asbestos roofing materials?

The risk of high levels of airborne asbestos from cementious roofing products is probably very low unless the workers are using power equipment like sanders and saws on these substances.

End Quote

Pib

Fully agree with your assessment. There is way more danger to the workers that have to cut the pieces with angle grinders than the inhabitants in the house. Most of the asbestos made products I have seen here are all non porous sealed tiles unlike the asbestos panels in the asbestos abatement programs in the states where they were open cell units & dust was prone to fall out & get airborne & be a health hazard. I think there is much more of a health risk living next to a marina that uses a lot of fiberglass for boat repairs as they use a lot more glass than the amount of asbestos that will fly from the roof panels.

You say there are different types of Asbestos. Yes, there are and ALL ASBESTOS IS DANGEROUS

I am President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia inc. We have thousands of members all sick with asbestos diseases.

Thousands die each year in the world after contracting an asbestos related disease.

Only some money hungry manufacturers say their asbestos is good. Most Governments in the world BAN asbestos.

Canada and China are worst offenders as they mine it and send it to countries where asbestos is banned.

Thailand in particular had thousands of tons of asbestos products sent to help them after the Tsunami. In fact they helped to kill thousands of Thais in the years ahead. Roof tiles, pipes, asbestos lagging, building products, electrical switchboards etc. etc. Your vehicles have asbestos brake linings and each time you drive asbestos fibres are released to everyone. The poor mechanics that do brake work are worst affected

If you want help in any way contact me direct Ian Sheppard - [email protected] or my private email [email protected]

I will be in Thailand late July/early August 2011 If you wish to meet me then let me know I WILL help you

In a nutshell, do not buy or use asbestos - it may have very serious & long term affects upon you & your family.

While I agree entirely with what you are saying, it the problem is avoiding asbestos. This becomes a particular problem when we consider the wide spread presense of counterfiet goods that may contain asbestos - Car break parts are an example.

Certainly there is no need to use asbestos and certainly it should be avoided, its the avoiding that is difficult where the policing of regulations is weak.

You say there are different types of Asbestos. Yes, there are and ALL ASBESTOS IS DANGEROUS

I am President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia inc. We have thousands of members all sick with asbestos diseases.

Thousands die each year in the world after contracting an asbestos related disease.

Only some money hungry manufacturers say their asbestos is good. Most Governments in the world BAN asbestos.

Canada and China are worst offenders as they mine it and send it to countries where asbestos is banned.

Thailand in particular had thousands of tons of asbestos products sent to help them after the Tsunami. In fact they helped to kill thousands of Thais in the years ahead. Roof tiles, pipes, asbestos lagging, building products, electrical switchboards etc. etc. Your vehicles have asbestos brake linings and each time you drive asbestos fibres are released to everyone. The poor mechanics that do brake work are worst affected

If you want help in any way contact me direct Ian Sheppard - [email protected] or my private email [email protected]

I will be in Thailand late July/early August 2011 If you wish to meet me then let me know I WILL help you

controversial issue....there are two basic kinds of asbestos....many studies indicate that one kind is bad and one kind is benign.....some people say that none of it is safe...others disagree....google it and read alot alot since there are people on both sides with vested interest.

You say there are different types of Asbestos. Yes, there are and ALL ASBESTOS IS DANGEROUS

I am President of the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia inc. We have thousands of members all sick with asbestos diseases.

Thousands die each year in the world after contracting an asbestos related disease.

Only some money hungry manufacturers say their asbestos is good. Most Governments in the world BAN asbestos.

Canada and China are worst offenders as they mine it and send it to countries where asbestos is banned.

Thailand in particular had thousands of tons of asbestos products sent to help them after the Tsunami. In fact they helped to kill thousands of Thais in the years ahead. Roof tiles, pipes, asbestos lagging, building products, electrical switchboards etc. etc. Your vehicles have asbestos brake linings and each time you drive asbestos fibres are released to everyone. The poor mechanics that do brake work are worst affected

If you want help in any way contact me direct Ian Sheppard - [email protected] or my private email [email protected]

I will be in Thailand late July/early August 2011 If you wish to meet me then let me know I WILL help you

controversial issue....there are two basic kinds of asbestos....many studies indicate that one kind is bad and one kind is benign.....some people say that none of it is safe...others disagree....google it and read alot alot since there are people on both sides with vested interest.

From what I remember from when I used to work with a lot of asbestos in UK when I was a teenager,its the particles of a size 3-1 microns that stay lodged in the lungs and cause trouble.Smaller particles are breathed out larger partiicles never reach the lungs.

Asbestos its self is not poison ,its the particles that stay in the lungs...like coal dust did for the miners.

Although wearing basic masks some of the time and handling ground powdered asbestos and obviously breathing in the dust,now, at 72 yrs of age I have no breathing problems....maybe just lucky!!

controversial issue....there are two basic kinds of asbestos....many studies indicate that one kind is bad and one kind is benign.....some people say that none of it is safe...others disagree....google it and read alot alot since there are people on both sides with vested interest.

From what I remember from when I used to work with a lot of asbestos in UK when I was a teenager,its the particles of a size 3-1 microns that stay lodged in the lungs and cause trouble.Smaller particles are breathed out larger partiicles never reach the lungs.

Asbestos its self is not poison ,its the particles that stay in the lungs...like coal dust did for the miners.

Although wearing basic masks some of the time and handling ground powdered asbestos and obviously breathing in the dust,now, at 72 yrs of age I have no breathing problems....maybe just lucky!!

No , you are not lucky .

Smoking is a cause for cancer , but some people believe you die sure of cancer if you smoke .

Asbestos is the cause for asbestosis . Asbestos has been used for many years and is around where i live just about everywhere . I'm about 10 km from a very big company who did nothing else then asbestos and in the old days , many of my family worked there ( grandparents etc ) and non of them died of asbestosis while they were unloading the pure stuff ( pure fibre/dust ) to put in for processing in cloth bags ( many fibres flying around ) . Yes , asbestos can be dangerous and should be avoided when possible . But you will non die from it if you come in contact . There is a chance , but participating in traffic on the road is a lot more risk .

ps , none of my family died of asbestosis but they themselves knew a couple of people dying from it .

The government recently 'banned' the use of asbestos, but of course there is no enforcement worth mentioning and the local attitude to health and safety issues is a miserable disgrace. So whoever started the poll on 'is asbestos dangerous' could I make something entirely clear to you: There is NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER that it is VERY dangerous.

If you are a sceptic, just Google James Hardie asbestos.

I am proberly going to get a ripping for posting this, but somebody has to stand up for asbestos!!

KEEP ASBESTOS BAN ALCOHOL

riding a bicycle can give you testical cancer

smoking gives you cancer

drinking can give you cirrhosis

silica dust can give you sillicosis

breathing bangkok air must be a killer!!

driving a car can kill you

crossing the street can kill you

there is more danger in dealing with petrol than asbestos

electricity can kill you

water can kill you

sun can kill you

sun can give you cancer

eating to much food can kill you

More people die from war every year than asbestos do we ban war???? no we go and make it!!!!

in scotland there is a death every 6 hours as a result of alcohol, that is just wee little scotland should we ban alcohol? how many people come into contact with asbestos and die, as opposed to alcohol. I dont drink as a rule but I know that I can still die because of a drunk driver, I have more fear of drunk drivers than asbestos!!!!

leaves the question of what cant kill you ????

I know that asbestos can be a killer but only if dealt with wrong, hey so can a chainsaw and a push bike!!!

the list goes on, and as for break pads so now we use kevlar products well what a supprise that is now a topic for cancer.

what is safe???????

Germany has banned all mineral oils as they cause cancer but not vasiline... petrolium jelly, then we take vasiline and use it on our babies!! Diesel has been linked to cancer.

I sit under a asbestos roof every day and I dont stress, as there is more danger from walking down the road than from the roof!!!

now dont get me wrong I know there can be death as a side effect I am not saying it is a safe product, but most weed killers are not safe but you dont have a problem with your mother using them!!

I look at the amount of asbestos used in this world and wonder how bad it really is, how long has it been used???

it is even safe enough to eat!!! if you handle it properly then you wont have a problem, you proberly have more chance of dieing in your sleep than dieing of asbestos but we dont ban sleep!!!

personaly I think it is a great product, and I bet it has saved many more lives that it has cost. there are not many products like it and there is not much that can replace it.

one has to ask how much of the media hype has killed this product? how bad is it really?

how many people have died because of asbestos and how many people have died whilst having intercourse?? are we going to ban that to?????

now in saying that I will proberly die as a result of asbestos exposure, ok

people tell me that smoking will kill me, so I ask the simple question, so if I dont smoke does that mean I wont die???

the interesting thing is that with the advance of medical science we no longer attribute death to natural causes we give it a reason, and because of all those reasons we look at things different, we look at everything as a killer.

well the cold hard facts of life are that even the purest of people WILL DIE!! its just a case of what we die of!

you can try and life a clean life and stay away from asbestos and all the other things in life that may kill you but to do that you have to live in a bubble, not leave the house and pray that the house doesnt burn down or a drunk driver come through your wall!

people be nice asbestos isnt bad, its how people use it that is bad !!!

ASBESTOS DOES NOT KILL PEOPLE DO

well this posting should get a few people worked up and know doubt I will be told how bad I am and how missinformed I am. but I I am a realist!!!! go and have a moan about nucular fuel, we put that in a container that is safe to drop it from 50 ft, then we load it in a plane and fly it at 30,000 feet !!!!

welcome to the real world people products have been killing people for years, some of the biggest killers are the everyday things, Beer, Cars, Smokes but the biggest killer of all is living !!!!